AP US History in 1 Minute Daily: The Enlightenment (Day 34/309)

Welcome to today’s explanation of the Enlightenment in my series- APUSH in 1 Minute Daily!

Louis XIV Visiting the Royal Academy of Sciences, Wikimedia Commons

In an example of Anglicization, the European philosophical movement known as the Enlightenment grew in prominence in the American colonies. The Enlightenment was an 18th century intellectual and philosophical movement that emphasized the use of reason and science rather than religion to solve humanity’s problems.

John Locke, Wikimedia Commons

The ideas of European philosophers such as John Locke and Voltaire spread to the Americas through print culture and immigration. Americans especially embraced the political ideas of John Locke that included the natural rights of life, liberty, and property.

Who Wants Me, New Republic

Americans began to view political authority through a new lens. They began to argue about whether kings had a divine right to rule, whether sovereignty was held by the government or the people, and whether a government must protect the people’s natural rights.

A typical 17th-century coffeehouse scene. Smithsonian

The Enlightenment was fueled by the proliferation of print culture and led to the growth of political debates, scientific education, and criticism of authority. 

The Enlightenment was a philosophical movement that emphasized reason, science, and individual rights, which led to significant changes in the development of American political ideas.

Join me tomorrow as I explain the Great Awakening in our next APUSH in 1 Minute Daily!